Her Second Life

Chapter 6

After my friends left, the room finally went quiet as their voices still rang in my head while they teased me about Leon and called me obsessed.I sighed and lay back on the bed while scrolling lazily through my phone and then a notification popped up.

Leon🥰😘❤️:

We need to meet. My parents want a formal dinner. Be ready by 7.

My eyebrows nearly jumped off my face.

“He didn’t even say please… wow.”

I didn't reply.I just wiped out the emojis on his name, saved it as Leon Harrington and then closed my phone.

I stepped into the bathroom and freshened up and after a quick shower with warm water running down my back and softening the tension in my shoulders, I wrapped myself in a towel,dried my hair and went to the closet.

I put on a cream satin dress, let my hair down and brushed through the soft curls until they framed my face in a way that looked effortless.

I put on light makeup to highlight my face and stood in front of the mirror. Just then my phone buzzed.

Leon:

Come downstairs, we've got to go.

By the time I was always going downstairs, my heartbeat had settled into something steady… steady enough to pretend I wasn’t nervous.

I held the railing as I descended the stairs as my heels clicked softly against each step.I was still on the stairs when I heard voices. It was Leon. He stood tall and composed while talking to my parents like he belonged there.His suit was midnight black, tailored to his body in that effortless rich-man way,the kind of suit that looked expensive even without the designer label. His hair was styled neatly, the sides trimmed and the top brushed back in a clean wave that made his features look even sharper.

He was shaking my father’s hand while speaking in that deep, calm tone he always used whenever he wanted to show respect. My father nodded while my mother stood beside them with a tight but pleasant smile.

Just then my mother turned slightly and looked towards me.

“Aria,honey,” she breathed as her eyes softened.

The three of them looked up at once and Leon’s eyes found me.For a small second,I noticed surprise and admiration flicker in his expression but he hid it quickly. He cleared his throat and looked away but not before I caught it.

I continued down one slow step at a time as I reached where they were.My father placed a gentle hand on my shoulder.

“Are you ready, my dear?”

Ready?No,not even close to being ready but I nodded anyway.

“You’ll be fine,” he assured me with a steady and warm voice. “Just be yourself,don’t overthink anything.”

My mother stepped closer and adjusted a small strand of hair from my cheek while her touch lingered longer than usual.

“You look beautiful,” she murmured. “And don’t forget,you owe nobody perfection. Just go, be calm, and return safely.”

“It's okay,mom. I'll be fine.”I said while nodding.

When I stepped forward for us to leave, Leon took one slow step toward me as well with a not fully smile but his eyes softened just a little.

“Shall we?” he asked quietly.

I glanced at my parents one last time and they both gave me encouraging nods.Leon opened the door for me as we stepped out, entered the car and drove off.

The drive was silent except for him saying, “Don’t embarrass yourself,” which I ignored… politely.

When the car rolled to a stop in front of a massive iron gate which was taller than any gate I had ever seen in my life and before Leon could even say a word, a guard pressed a button and the gate slid open smoothly.

The Harrington mansion wasn’t just big but intimidating.It was times bigger than my very big house.Sharp architecture was in front of the house and a fountain in front shaped like some kind of mythical creature, and guards who looked like they could smell fear. The house glowed under warm lights like expensive but cold,like it knew exactly how powerful the people inside were.

Leon parked the car and stepped out first, walking around immediately to open my door before I could.The act looked gentlemanly but his expression stayed unreadable.

I stepped out and adjusted my dress as the cold evening air brushed against my skin.

He watched me for a second and then cleared his throat.

“Let’s go.”

He walked slightly ahead as I followed and then we entered the house.The moment I stepped inside, I felt my soul leave my body.

The foyer was way larger than my entire old apartment complex. The floor was polished white marble with black geometric lines and were shining so clean that I could see my reflection while two wide staircases curled up on either side like the mansion was opening its arms.A crystal chandelier hung in the center as millions of tiny lights shone through it and scattering patterns across the walls.Expensive paintings were lined along the hall,the kind that belonged in museums… not people’s houses.The air smelled like vanilla, clean linen and money.

“So this is where you live…” I whispered under my breath unknowingly.

Leon paused briefly as he glanced back at me.

“It’s my parents’ house,” he corrected calmly.

I followed him deeper inside.The living room had a sunken seating area with white couches arranged around a glass table with a sculpted gold base. A piano sat in the corner, glossy black and untouched and one wall was pure glass as it overlooked the garden with soft lights glowing outside.

“God! Everything looks expensive.”I screamed in my mind as I slowed down while admiring.

Leon didn’t notice I’d slowed down. He just kept moving ahead as his footsteps echoed across the marble.

“This way,” he said with a calm but distant voice.

And then I heard voices coming from the dining room and I already knew it was his family.My pulse picked up,not because I was nervous but because I remembered exactly how much the old Aria begged for their approval and me if they didn't like me, that's their problem,I don't want their son by the way.

As the butler opened the dining room doors, and the first thing I saw wasn’t the chandelier or the golden table pieces or the ridiculously perfect table setup but was a woman I guess is Leon’s mother.

Her eyes hit me the moment I stepped inside as her lips twitched downward instantly, like my presence alone ruined her appetite and she didn’t even try to hide it because she never liked me,not even before my accident or after it.

“Mother. Father. Lance.” He greeted them with a calm voice as he walked slightly ahead of me.

His father nodded without looking up from his wine while his younger brother, Lance, grinned in a friendly and lopsided way but the mother leaned back in her chair very slowly as she tapped her finger on the table while her eyes traveled from my hair… to my face… to my dress… and finally to my shoes.

“So,” she said sharply as her voice sliced through the silent room, “you decided to show up this time.”